"Issues on the ward after my surgery"

Had been admitted to St George's fairly fast for an emergency operation to remove my colon on earlier this month as there was a possibility that it would perforate so went onto Nye Bevan Unit, I had then been moved onto Vernon Ward where the staff were pretty amazing in looking after me that night pre surgery.

After surgery I was moved to ICU where the staff member who looked after me was truly amazing in doing her job and generally just making sure I wasn’t in too much discomfort.

After a night in ICU I was transferred to Gray ward (Friday) which turned out to be a complete nightmare!

As I had had my colon removed I was extremely dehydrated and had a slight 'accident' where my hospital socks had become quite soiled with blood.

When I had got to the ward I was so dehydrated I had asked a staff nurse if I can have a jug of water and some socks - they looked at me in a quite I'm too busy for that manner - at the time they was in the middle of medication rounds so it was understandable that they would have to do this after they had finished- they said once they have finished they would get it .... ok!

2 nurses (who later I learned were health care assistants) passed my bed to come and straighten out the sheets, I asked again for water and to help me put my socks on; which I hadn’t been able to do by myself as I had stitches all the way up my abdomen. They both said they will be back to help me but neither of the HCA or nurse came back to help me so I had no compression socks that night. The staff nurse that was supposed to come back and at least give me a jug of water had now moved to aid another person on the ward which I was a bit upset by; if I could walk around and get a jug of water and put my socks on I would!

In the morning when seeing the consultant she said I should be wearing the socks I told her that I had asked 3 different nurses to help me (one being there on the ward round) but they didn't.

At that point I just broke down crying as no one on the ward seemed to be actually helping me do anything and I felt quite helpless to do anything myself. Even then none of the staff came back to help me put them on!

Having had 2 drips put in my arms already, the dressings and needle were already coming off, I asked a staff nurse if they could put new dressings on. They said they were too busy and would do it later. They didn't come back even though they had shifted to the opposite side of the room to help another patient!

These dressing were not changed for 3 days after getting on the ward! In the end I took them out myself as they were beginning to hurt and bleed. The nurse came the next day and said why did you take it out, I told them I've been asking for days for you to change this and it started to hurt so I took it out.

On the breakfast round I asked the lady if she could get me a jug of water she said she is in the middle of breakfast and will get it later.. although they did not ask me if I wanted anything for breakfast! The lady who was there the following week was amazing, not only giving out breakfast and taking orders but changing water and rubbish bags!

Lunch time, she did ask if I can have only liquids or solids, I told her the Dr said I can now try some solids, she said let me check with them. (no one had changed my board which said solid food) By the time all the lunches had gone another lady had bought me a cup of soup. Even though I was allowed to have solids by then.

As I had just had part of my colon removed, I had stitches going all the way up my abdomen so I wasn’t quite mobile, I happened to have a little accident near my bed, I did press my buzzer for nurses to come and help as I was unable to bend down, the buzzer must of been going for half an hour before I started cleaning it up myself. With not having a bowl or anything to put the soiled tissues in, I put them in the bag that they tape around the table. So in the end no one actually came to see what was happening. In the morning when the lady came round to collect bags and jugs she refused to take my bag which was on the table....I can understand not wanting to take a bag full of soiled tissues but at least replace it. She didn’t even say anything to me she just looked at it and said 'I’m not touching that. The thing is she didn't even give me a new bag. Being in extreme pain and difficulty with movement, my Mum later took my rubbish and asked a HCA where she could put the rubbish and if she could put a new bag on my table, They said they didn't have any more bags, my Mum then asked, where will she put any of her rubbish? The HCA said I should bring it out there because I could walk. My Mum said so you want her to walk and bring every bit of rubbish out here in her condition!  The HCA said I could do.

Eventually another women came and put a bag on my table in the evening. Yes I could walk to go to the bathroom but with difficulty.

From when I got on the ward on Thursday the floors were filthy, there was no one cleaning any part of the floor until the Monday morning.The week before, some beds were made, mine wasn't for 4 days.

I found the staff rude and didn#t behave like they has a passion to help and support people that need the support. I too work in healthcare and I do it because I want to help people be more independent.

The night staff I met were even worse, they gathered at the main desk and chat all night, various machines were going off in my room, no one came to check on any of them. I pressed my buzzer as I felt I was going to throw up and all I had was the white bag taped to the side. When the lady came I said to her I need a bowl I'm going to be sick, she hesitated and then finally went to get one when I did throw up in the bag. She then ran and got me a bowl and then went to get me an anti sickness injection! Little too late!

The lady in the opposite bed to me was throwing up all night one evening and the nurses on the night shift hesitated in bringing her sick bowls and the amount she was throwing up you would think they would have brought her a bigger bowl, she was also sick all over herself and her bed - but again no one helped her clean herself or her bed so she said she ended up sleeping in her bed covered in sick all night. She also said that she threw up in the bathroom and in the morning the sick had tried up all over the floor and remained there for the whole day! ! !

Another incident, I was taking a shower and I could over hear staff talking about the patients, to be specific about me and the lady opposite saying that they can't deal with both of us at the same time and if thier colleague could deal with one of us! They then went on to talk about us some more but by then I stopped listening and I could hear other colleagues talking too, I thought this was quite unprofessional. I was quite shocked that nurses would talk about patients like this.

When my stoma nurse came on the Monday morning I told her all the problems I was having on the ward and I didn't feel I could recover properly, she asked if I had reported it to the matron, I told her no and she said she will have a word with her. In the evening the Matron did come and speak to me and I told her the problems I was having with some of the staff. She said it’s out of character for the staff member to behave like that and the incident that I had overheard in the shower was probably them just making a joke!

Besides the few days bad experience I had on that ward there are some really dedicated staff who you can tell do love their jobs; the outpatients team are amazing, my consultant,  my surgeon, soma care nurse, Junior IBD CNS, IBD nurse and all of the nurses that came to take bloods were also very dedicated and actually had a smile on their faces and showed some compassion.

On the wards that I had been on, there are some really dedicated staff which made my second week stay much better. It’s just unfortunate that I had to experience the bad side of patient care on Gray Ward!